Producer Confirms ‘Tomb Raider’ Reboot Will Be an Origins Story

Producer Graham King has confirmed that the upcoming Tomb Raider movie reboot starring Alicia Vikander will, in fact, be a hero origins story.

While speaking with HeyUGuys, King said that the movie will see famous treasure-hunting heroine Lara Croft in her earlier years as she searches for her lost father. "Well this is kind of what we call a ‘back to the roots story,'" the producer admits. "It has a very emotional part to it and i think that’s what Alicia found so interesting about it. I think the storytelling is really good and i think we’ve got the right crew and a great director and I think it’s going to be really fun making a film like this."

The movie hopes to serve as a new beginning for the film branch of the franchise which began with Angelina Jolie in 2001. Jolie would later appear in a sequel titled Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life in 2003. Both films were considered financial and critical disappointments, which led the studio to cancel any plans for a third film in the series.

It is speculated that Vikander's Lara Croft story will borrow elements from the Square Enix's 2013 video game reboot, which rejuvenated the franchise for PC and console gamers. The first Tomb Raider video game was released in 1996 and spawned several sequels and spin-offs over the years. Combined, the Tomb Raider games have sold nearly 45 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful video game franchises.

Tomb Raider is slated to hit theaters in 2018 and will be directed by Roar Uthaug.